Exfoliated clay-polymer nanocomposite as a promising delivery system for bovine serum albumin

The pH-sensitive exfoliated clay-alginate composite was investigated for the controlled oral delivery of bovine serum albumin (BSA). The X-ray diffraction analysis and transmission electron microscopy analysis revealed the exfoliated structure of clay in the composite. The degree of exfoliation was increased with sonication and it was optimised that the maximum exfoliation of clay in the aqueous medium occurred for 150 min of sonication. The maximum adsorption of BSA in the clay-alginate was detected at a pH of 4.5. The in-vitro release study of BSA from the exfoliated clay and the clay-alginate composite was analysed at simulated gastric and simulated intestinal pH conditions which suggested that the adsorption and release of BSA could be controlled simply by adjusting the solution pH condition. In the in-vitro release study, it was noted that there was no release of BSA from the clay-alginate composite up to 30 min in gastric pH conditions. But, there was a slow release rate of BSA within 10 h from the clay-alginate composite in the intestinal pH condition. The release profile from the clay-alginate composite was more fitted to the Peppas kinetic model.